Melissa d’Arabian is the Next Food Network Star. The 40-year-old is a stay-at-home mom who is raising four young daughters with her husband in Keller, Texas. Her life is about to change with her own network cooking show.
Melissa hopes to relate well with people because of her varied life experiences and claims that she is not a supermom. Her goal with the new show is to demonstrate to her viewers that they can budget their time and money in order to prepare fresh, home-cooked meals.
Melissa beat out Jeffrey Saad, a 42-year-old California Culinary Academy graduate with 25 years of experience as a restaurant owner and chef. After a cook-off between the final two contestants, the judges awarded Melissa the grand prize, her own show and a feature article in the network’s magazine.
D’Arabian hugged her husband and children and said, “I feel amazed and grateful — and ready to work. I was definitely the dark horse, sometimes even I didn’t see myself winning.” Her first show will air next week.
Expect d’Arabian to impart her philosophy of food lifestyle solutions and simple recipes that will be family oriented. You might want to stock up on a few of her ‘can’t live without’ staple ingredients: olive oil, bacon and chicken and get ready for an exciting new cooking adventure with the newest member of the Food Network family.
View more photos and video below.